Retired Judge Fatally Shoots Himself at Home

By Joshua Partlow and Martin Weil
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, November 21, 2006; B08

The situation in Bowie yesterday in which an armed man was barricaded inside a house was unusual. The man inside, who seemed agitated and had fired a shot in the air, had been a judge of the Circuit Court. And even among his fellow members of the Prince George's County bench, he was regarded as one of the most formal and correct.

Judge G.R. Hovey Johnson, 76, who retired in 2000, was known as stern and serious, a hard-working Army veteran, a man who had a friendly side but brooked little nonsense during more than 15 years of meting out justice. A pillar of the law.

According to preliminary reports, Johnson's wife, the only other occupant of the house, fled unharmed about midday and called police. Officers made contact, then could not reach Johnson for hours, as they waited outside, trying to coax him into a peaceful surrender. When they entered the house last night, they found Johnson dead of a gunshot wound they said was self-inflicted.

Police said they had received indications that the judge might have been suffering from dementia or possibly Alzheimer's disease.

Almost everyone used some form of the word "tragic" late last night as the news spread throughout the county in which the judge had been a fixture for years.

"It's a true tragedy, not only for himself but for the community," said Glenn F. Ivey, the county's chief prosecutor.

Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D), Ivey's predecessor as chief prosecutor, said he was saddened by the death of "a really nice person."

"He was like a teacher to me," Johnson said. "A serious professor."

The judge was "helpful in many ways," Johnson said. "It's real tragic that it happened this way. . . . Everybody is shocked."

The standoff began shortly after 11 a.m., when police responded to what some officials said was thought to be a domestic dispute at the judge's home in the 16000 block of Audubon Lane in Bowie, said police Maj. Michael Blow.

He said that Johnson fired one shot and that his wife, Joan, was able to escape the house unharmed. But Johnson refused to leave the house, and police described him as potentially suicidal.

According to Cpl. Diane Richardson, a police spokeswoman, Johnson had "appeared agitated and indicated that he may want to hurt himself."

Police set up a command post at Village Baptist Church on Mitchellville Road during the incident, blocking off roads throughout the neighborhood. A negotiating team tried to talk to the gunman.

Witnesses said they heard two loud blasts about 8 p.m., which apparently were flash grenades used as a tactic by police.

Johnson was born and raised in Richmond, graduated from what is now Prairie View A&M University in Texas, and was an Army Green Beret who served two tours in Vietnam during his decorated 23-year military career, according to a Circuit Court biography. He graduated from Georgetown University Law Center, was admitted to the Maryland bar in 1978 and served as an assistant public defender and in private practice before he was appointed to the Circuit Court bench in 1982.

While a judge, Johnson was known for working 10- to 11-hour days and for his sober and intent demeanor in the courtroom.

Chief Administrative Judge William D. Missouri described Johnson as the father of two daughters and a son, and as a mentor to whom he turned for advice on legal issues, personnel and the supervision of judges, "which is like herding cats. He was always very supportive. When you're in that position, you need a group of people you can talk to, and he was the first I'd turn to."

Johnson was known for running a strict courtroom and for becoming impatient with attorneys who he believed were unprepared.

"He didn't tolerate people being lax in his courtroom," Missouri said. However, he added: "No one can ever say he was ever unfair to them. His courtroom was run with military precision. He was really one of the most caring people on the bench."

Missouri said last night that yesterday's events would never have occurred if Johnson had not been ill.

"It was out of character for him," Missouri said. "The person I heard about today was not the person I've known all these years." In recent weeks, he said, Johnson had even joked about the challenges he faced, telling him, " 'My problem is remembering things.' "

"The older I get," Jack B. Johnson said last night, "the more I understand that these things happen to a lot of good people.

"We don't know what [other] people are going through," he said.

Staff researcher Meg Smith and staff writers Ruben Castaneda and Allan Lengel contributed to this report.